Following the team with a unique perspective on all things Phillies.Email me: PhilliesPhollowers@comcast.net – Peace, Love & Baseball – Jenn

Results tagged ‘ Scott Eyre ’

This is why I love baseball.Anything can happen.The Phillies pitching sucked big time, but even bigger, timely hits saved the day!Phillies beat the Nationals 13-11 and we all LOVE Raul Ibanez!Get to that in a minute….

First, let’s give the pitching a well deserved spanking!I’m sorry Joe Blanton, but the nickname I gave you last year when you were stinking up the joint is back:It’s Joe Blah-nton!As much as I hate to dub anyone with a “BLAH!”, after a horrid start to the season and an 8.41 ERA, it only seems fitting.Consider it a challenge.Prove me wrong.PLEASE.

Blah-anton surrendered 6 runs tonight on 8 hits and 3 walks, including 3 monster home runs; and all this in only 4.1 innings.Yikes!But hey, the bullpen did no better.Jack Taschner chipped in one run and Scott Eyre, entering the “every pitchers nightmare” category, gave up not one, but TWO 2-run home runs in ZERO innings.He was pulled before he even recorded an out.

But thank goodness for Ryan Howard and RAUUUUUUUUUL Ibanez!Both players whacked a GRAND SLAM in the game!The last time the Phillies hit 2 slams in one game was 2003 when Tomas Perez and Jason Michaels did it.Howard’s slam tied the game up at 6-6.Later, after the pitching exploded again and the Phils trailed 11-7, Ibanez gave them the lead in the 8th with his salami.It was Raul’s 3rd hit of the game.Jimmy Rollins also had a 3 hit game, while attempting to slip out of his slump; looks like he found his mojo again.

Ryan Madson got the save in the 9th in the absence of Brad Lidge, who has inflammation in his right knee.Hopefully, it is not serious; the MRI was clean and he is day-to-day.Carlos Ruiz was given a rest today in AAA Lehigh Valley; he experienced some discomfort in his injured oblique area during batting practice and was held out of the game.Looks like Lou Marson and Chris Coste will continue to man the backstop for a while.Marson looks great behind the plate; he keeps ball in front of him and he has a good arm too.His hitting will come along as he gets more at-bats.And Coste is Coste…he’ll get the job done.

So who’s going to get their Charlie Manuel bobblehead tomorrow night?You know I am!Hope to see ya there….7:05pm start with Cole Hamels getting the start!

And again, don’t forget to VOTE for your All-Star’s!Get your Phillies into the game!!Vote a maximum of 25 times per day, per email address.

This team sure loves playing from behind; all 8 wins this year so far have been comeback wins, including yesterday’s 10-inning 6-4 win over the Marlins.Losing 3-4 in the 9th inning, Eric Bruntlett stepped in to pinch hit and hit a chopper up the third base line well enough to score Jayson Werth from third and tie up the game.In the 10th, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Werth all singled, plus a stolen base from Victorino, and the Phillies took the lead, 6-4.Brad Lidge tried to give us all a tummy ache in the bottom of the 9th as he loaded the bases full of Fish, but managed to escape unscathed.

Chan Ho Park had a better game this time around; he started off red-hot, but cooled a bit in the 4th inning when he gave away back-to-back home runs.The first was a 3-run homer to Jorge Cantu and then a solo shot to Dan Uggla.But Park did keep the Phils in the game and even accidentally ran into an opposite field home run of his own in the 3rd inning.It was Park’s first home run since 2000.

The bullpen including Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson held the game at 4 runs for the Fish and ultimately, gave the Phillies an opportunity to come back and win.Great job from the pen!

Speaking of pens, I was actually sitting in the “pig pen” at Coca-Cola Park watching the Phils game on my phone while watching our AAA club, the Iron Pigs play the Pawtucket Red Sox.And yes, everything in this park is “pig” themed.From the mascots, to the game program, which is called “Pork Illistrated.”Besides the “oinking” from the crowd and other silliness, the park is beautiful, has comfortable seating and it was a really entertaining time overall.

The Pigs game actually mirrored the Phillies game through the 9th inning; both clubs were tied 4-4 and went 1 extra inning!Sadly, the Pigs game had a different result, as they lost to the Sox, 5-4.But I did get to check out Carlos Ruiz in his first rehab assignment.Ruiz was the DH; he went 0-3 at the plate, walked twice and scored a run.The good news is, he looked ok swinging the bat.

I also saw former major leaguer, Kyle Kendrick pitch; Kendrick went 5 innings, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks.Not good.He looked like a minor league pitcher and appears to have a long way to go before cracking the majors again.We wish him luck!

Spring training stand-outs John Mayberry Jr. and Jason Donald each smacked a home run in the game and were impressive defensively as well.Mike Cervenak and Andy Tracy collected the other 2 RBI’s, which were hard to come by as they faced pitchers who were throwing in the 40’s and 50’s.I am so not kidding; it looked like a tee-ball game.One pitcher for the Sox was being clocked regularly at around 41mph!Wow.Most AAA players are not used to such slow deliveries and it will mess up their timing.Hey, maybe the Sox would like to sign me up?Pretty sure I can top 41mph.

Here is the Photo Albumof the Iron Pigs game; I have included more shots of Ruiz, Kendrick, Coca-Cola park, the mascots and many others!

Back to the majors: Don’t forget to VOTE for your All-Star’s today!Get your Phillies into the game!!Vote a maximum of 25 times per day, per email address.

And tune in now to the Phillies-Marlins 3rd game of the series which had a very early start at 12:10pm.

A total 360 from yesterday’s game, the Phillies offense appeared to be hypnotized by the Brewers pitching.They did manage 8 hits, but they came at the wrong times and 3 of those were in the 9th inning, including a Jayson Werth home run; the only score of the day for the Phils.

Joe Blanton pitched 6 innings and gave up 3 runs, much the same as he did against the Nats last week, but again, did not get any run support.The bullpen, which today included Chad Durbin, Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre and Ryan Madson, finally looked on-target as well.But those of us looking for any excitement in the hitting department may as well have slept though the first 8 innings; and why not?The Phillies did. :O)

But enough about that snooze fest, let’s move on to All-Star voting, which began today.You can help make Chase Utley the first Phil since Mike Schmidt to go to the All-Star game 4 years in a row!Just keep on VOTING!And vote for all the other Phillies, too!I will attempt to remember to post a link to the All-Star Balloteach day; you have no excuse not to vote!Even my pet chinchilla can do it…see!Gizmo is a very talented rodent; his favorite computer part is the mouse :O)Gizmo has vowed to vote 25 times per day, the maximum daily vote per email address or odd household pet.Please help him in his quest; after all, he is just a little guy.Don’t make him feel like a hamster on a wheel, working all by himself!Gizmo really hates the hamster reference because he is a WAY cooler, and cuter, fluffy rodent.

And it has now become apparent that I am seriously lacking in the quality sleep department…That explains the Phillies lack of production today!They knew I needed a nap…hey, thanks guys!I promise to get some shut-eye tonight so tomorrow, you can get back to work.Game time is 1:05pm…don’t sleep in too late!

The Phillies fought through 30 mph winds today in Bradenton against the Pirates; winner?The wind.Many, many balls had some help flying over the outfield fence and others simply blew right past the outfielders grasp unexpectedly.A few guys looked like they may lose their jersey’s as they were blown about in the stiff gusts of wind.But the only thing the Phillies lost today was the game, 10-4.

Jamie Moyer was not thrilled about the weather conditions as he gave up 11 hits, 7 runs and 1 walk and was even called for a balk when his glove flinched, likely because of the high winds.Moyer argued with the ump, but to no avail.Even Brad Lidge ran into trouble when Garrett Jones hit a long fly ball that the airstream helped carry over the fence for a 3-run blast.

Ryan Howard did not mind the situation too much; Howard hit a bomb to straight away center field in the 4th inning that some estimate travelled over 500 feet.It went so far, the ball was completely out of sight; the cameras never picked it up as it went out of the park.Right before that, Howard had hit a screaming foul ball towards the Phillies dugout, which nailed Geoff Jenkins in the leg as he waited in the on-deck circle.A brutal shot, Jenkins jumped up and down in pain.He shook it off and looked to be ok.As Howard trotted home after the 500 footer, he stopped to greet Jenkins at home plate, gave him a big teddy-bear hug and apologized for whacking him with the foul ball.

In the 6th inning, some confusion ensued as Eric Bruntlett and Marcus Giles could not seem to decide between the two of them who was covering what area.A routine ground ball turned into a base hit for the Pirates, as Moyer was not in time to cover first base during the turmoil.That inning turned into 4 runs for the Pirates and the Phillies fielding resembled something like this:

Today’s Phillies Word of the Day is: Doo-Doo.Yes, thanks to pitcher Scott Eyre, Phillies fans everywhere were treated to a barrage of “Doo-Doo” remarks in the 7th inning during an interview by Phillies broadcaster, Tom McCarthy.When asked about his rough outing against the Yankees a few days ago, Eyre responded with, “It was a day where I warmed up and felt like doo-doo and so I pitched like doo-doo.”And it didn’t end there, folks.He used the doo-doo remark again when discussing what his next outing may look like.Let us hope doo-doo does not make any future appearances, unless it is by The Police:

Fun Fact of the Day:Ronny Paulino, who was just yesterday traded to the Giants in exchange for lefty Jack Taschner, has been traded yet again! The Giants sent Paulino to our NL East rivals, the Florida Marlins, presumably so Phillies fans would not miss him too badly.Although, Paulino may want to keep the wheels on his cart for now, just in case…

The Phillies will take on the Red Sox tomorrow at 1:05pm!The game will be broadcast on My PHL 17 – check your local listings.

Early in March, Ryan Madson called into the Preston & Steve radio show on WMMR and gave a very entertaining interview.I managed to snag a clip from that interview; the segment you will hear begins with Madson defending teammate JC Romero for what most have come to see for what it is; a totally bogus and ridiculous 50 game suspension.Madson shares his thoughts on the subject.After that, you will hear a very funny story about how Madson celebrated his World Series victory at a TGI Friday’s in Southern NJ.I am not kidding; apparently, he is there so often, that he even hangs out and plays video games with the staff.You will have to hear it for yourself:

In other news, the Phillies took a pounding today from the Yankees in grapefruit league action; but on the upside, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard went back to back with the long ball in the first inning.Sadly, the scoring ended there.Carlos Carrasco got some work in; he pitched 5 innings, gave up 6 hits, 4 runs and a walk.Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless inning and looks like he is ready to go, injury free.Poor Scott Eyre had what one might term as an “off” day, surrendering 5 runs in 1 inning, 3 of which came off home runs.It was looking like the inning that may never end for Eyre; he probably couldn’t wait to get out of there.Relax though…it’s only Spring Training!Take 2 and call me in the morning…

Another player who may have been experiencing a somewhat long day was Ronny Paulino.Rumor has it that Paulino is up for grabs and the Phillies will be trying to showcase him to other teams in the next week or so.As such, Paulino played all 9 innings today.Paulino had 1 hit in today’s game, bringing his average to .194, but that is certainly not a lot of bait to reel in many potential suitors.Regardless, this is good news for Chris Coste who now appears to be a lock for the back-up catching spot.Phillies fans everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief for Coste :O)

The Phillies will travel to Kissimmee, FL tomorrow, right next door to one of the happiest places on earth, to take on the Houston Astros at 1:05pm.If anyone returns wearing Mouse ears, I hope someone will send me a photo.Thank you in advance :O)

Kyle Kendrick got the start today against the Twins in Spring action and surprisingly, did not do half bad.While a decent performance today will not likely put him back in the running for the 5th starters spot, it at least shows that he is still capable of getting the job done, like he did in 2007 and the 1st half of 2008.Kendrick lasted 5 full innings and gave up 5 hits, 1 walk and 2 earned runs.Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre and Brad Lidge also pitched in the game, none of the 3 surrendering a run; Lidge looked solid, had a wicked slider and appears to be in good health.

Today’s game was aired on Comcast Sportsnet, giving the baseball starved locals something to watch on a lazy Saturday afternoon.Sadly though, the offensive production on both sides of the diamond was lacking with the only scoring occurring in the 1st and 9th innings.The game ended in a 2-1 Phillies loss and that one run came off the bat of Eric Bruntlett in the 9th, who shot a ball over the left field fence.Beyond that, broadcasters tried to make the game interesting by showing sample of the Phillies’ upcoming game giveaways which included a World Champions t-shirt, a Jayson Werth blanket for the ladies, a bucket cap and various other items.The item which seemed to interest everyone the most was the Charlie Manuel bobblehead doll.Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins had their reactions to the new doll taped; Rollins, always the comedian, went so far as to make the doll “talk” about his infamous benching last year by Manuel.You cannot make this stuff up; see for yourself:

So, what do you think?Will Rollins behave this year or, will he get benched again and toss the bobblehead across the room?The jury is out…

And since the game was a tad on the boring side today, I spent my free time in between batters setting up an ER for the wounded Phillies players.Yes, more reports came in today about Greg Dobbs being scratched from the starting line-up due to some sort of muscle “tweak”; Jason Donald did not play either as he has a mystery ankle ailment; Cole Hamels’ progress after the sore elbow has been down-played.Looks like these guys just need a stand-by, 24-hour emergency room.

Another chilly day in Florida today where Team Canada went down in flames against the World Champions; final score, 9-2.This is what happens when you stock your team with guys named…well, see for yourself:

You can’t make this stuff up.So many jokes…so little time.What were his parents thinking?And the Canadian team was also made up of guys like Matt Stairs, Justin Morneau of the Twins and this kid…the littlest Canadian:

Maybe he is Stubby Jr.?Well, Stairs and Morneau aside, it is no wonder Team Canada struggled against the Phillies.

Anyway, before the game, John Mayberry Sr., former Kansas City Royal, and father of new Phillie, John Mayberry Jr., wandered over to say hello to Charlie Manuel and the gang.He was a proud papa today, watching his son move closer to making the 25-man roster.Mayberry Jr. smacked another home run and went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI on the homer.If Mayberry keeps this pace up, it will be difficult to send him to the minors come April.

Cole Hamels

made his first start of spring training today and pitched 2 innings, giving up 2 hits and a walk.He started off looking a bit shaky, but settled in and did not allow any runs.Scott Eyre also pitched an inning and was much sharper than his last outing.Eyre sent them down in order, striking out 2 batters.Below, you will see Hamels, Eyre and Greg Dobbs sliding into 2nd; Dobbs, who went 1 for 4, also made an amazing solo double play during the game; he made a diving grab, threw himself at 1st base, sliding forward to tag the bag with his glove before the runner could get back.Nicely done :O)

Rookie Jason Donald had a rough day, and has been having a less than spectacular spring at the plate overall.Today he went 0 for 3.Donald is getting a lot of playing time to see if he can handle 3rd base should they need him to step in for Pedro Feliz, who is still recovering from back surgery.But Donald seems to be pressing at the plate and is not producing so far.Andy Tracy tried to cheer him up after he exited the game today…you will also see Lou Marson fouling off a pitch and Miguel Cairo sliding into home:

As for the competition for the back-up catchers position, Chris Coste has only made one start so far due to a hamstring injury, which is giving Ronny Paulino an opportunity to snag the job. Paulino has not been too impressive, which is good news for Coste, but he’ll need to get back on the field if he is going to keep the job.Coste did take batting practice today and looked solid, so it looks like he should be up and running soon.

And now for the Photo of the Day – Chase Utley warming up for batting practice; take a look at the reflection in his sunglasses:

The Phillies will take on Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Team USA tomorrow at 12:05pm!

Well, don’t get too excited…it is only Spring Training.But the Phillies did finally get over the Grapefruit League hump and won their first game today against World Series opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 12-5.Ryan Howard also got over his homer hump and slammed his first of 2009 in the 1st inning.John Mayberry followed with one of his own and 2 batters later, 12-year MLB veteran Miguel Cairo joined the home run parade.After a 5 run first inning, the Phils looked pretty relaxed.

The rookies tried to make good impressions; Mayberry and Jason Donald both played the entire game with Mayberry going 2 for 5 with 2 RBI, including the home run.Donald went 1 for 4 with 1 RBI and made a spectacular over-the-wall grab on a foul ball.He fell clear into the stands, disappearing from view, and still caught the ball.Here is a photo of Donald being helped up by the fans; also shown:Cairo sliding into home; Jimmy Rollins tags out a runner attempting to steal; rookie Ozzie Chavez gets a hit:

Kyle Kendrick pitched the first 2 2/3 innings, allowing 4 hits, including 1 home run.He pitched fairly well, but did pale in comparison to what we have seen from JA Happ and Carlos Carrasco thus far.And so that battle continues…Former Mariner Jake Woods continues to struggle, giving up 2 runs in his one inning of work; rookie Drew Naylor had a one run 2 1/3 innings; Mike Koplove looked great again, pitching a scoreless inning; and our only lefty in the pen so far, Scott Eyre, gave up one run in what looked like a bit of a shaky inning for him.Eyre, having personal and financial issues right now, really needs to keep his head on straight.It was reported earlier this week that, due to a bank fraud issue, his assets have been frozen and he is unable to pay bills.It appears to have affected many people invested in this particular bank and may take a while before the issue is resolved, so let’s hope he can handle the stress.The advance the Phillies gave him on his salary should help.Read the article HERE.

The other story of the day was the return of Pat Burrell.Burrell got a very warm reception from the Phillies fans, who cheered him when he came up to bat, and even before the game during batting practice.It seems like we are not the only ones who are missing Pat; Greg Dobbs and Ryan Howard had a nice reunion with him before the game:

So far, the mood in Phillies practice has been very upbeat.Shane Victorino was all smiles as he tossed balls to children in the crowd earlier today.Cole Hamels returned to the team, having taken care of his “personal issues” and spirits were high.There are a few story lines causing some stress among the natives , including the battle for the 5th starting position.Kyle Kendrick threw a good session today and Scott Eyre helped him keep the mood light.Either that, or Eyre has mistaken Kendrick for a cute little baby…

Other developing story lines include the competition among the rookies trying to make the team.Jason Donald, who may replace Chase Utley if he has a setback and is not ready to go for Opening Day, is keeping pace with the big boys.Lou Marson, understanding the team is heavy on catchers, keeps up his hard work in the hopes that he makes an impression for future call-ups.And Mike Cervanek , who made his major league debut last year after 10 years in the minors and independent leagues, has been hustling to get some attention.Cervenak could be the right-handed bat the Phillies need, plus he is able to play 3rd, 2nd and 1st bases.Having been a member of the World Series squad, the coaches already know Cervenak, but this will be a case of perseverance on his part to make the team.

With so many good looking men wandering about the practice fields, it makes you wonder where a few of these guys are getting their hair style advice.Women do seem to love the beard, but Eric Bruntlett may want to consider a trim.It’s hair gone wild!And then in the plain “hair has gone away” category, new Phillie Raul Ibanez may want to consider a new look.Here are a few for him to “try on.”

Only one day left of practice before the games begin on Wednesday; the Phillies will take on the Pirates in Bradenton, FL for the Spring Training opener at 1:05pm.Stay tuned for game coverage!

And on to the Photo of the Day…it’s an unusually chipper Mike Schmidt:

…will be written here for all to see!So much for things “staying” in Vegas.Ruben Amaro Jr. in his new GM role has all eyes on him at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, waiting for him to make his mark on the 2009 Phillies team.Rumors abound, as they usually do this during the Winter Meetings, but so far, nothing has transpired.Talks with pitcher Jamie Moyer are slowing down to a near halt…it looks like he is asking for 2 years at about 10 million a year.The Phillies simply aren’t going to pay that for a guy in his mid-forties.It is too big a risk.And as much as we all love Jamie and would like to believe that age is never a factor, it can be.He showed signs of slowing down towards the end of 2008, but still remained on the active roster all year without an injury.But if you placing bets on whether this will remain the case for one or maybe two more years, those are odds even the nuttiest Vegas gambler wouldn’t bet on.

The Phillies have been looking at options, in case Moyer decides to go elsewhere.Randy Wolf, ex-Phillie and Geoff Jenkins look-a-like, has been mentioned.It is also rumored that an offer has been made to Derek Lowe. Amaro also mentioned he’d like to add one more arm to an already outstanding bullpen.Scott Eyre has already been signed to a one-year, $2 million contract extension, so we know he’ll be back, giving us one more lefty to play with in addition to JC Romero.Ryan Madson may be signed, rather than allow him to go to arbitration, but nothing specific has been mentioned on that one.Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey are also eligible for arbitration.

Arbitration is going to play a huge part in moves this offseason.With TEN Phillies eligible, including those mentioned plus Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Greg Dobbs, Cole Hamels, Eric Bruntlett and Joe Blanton, salaries for any new additions are going to be at a premium.Amaro knows he has big money due to some of these guys and has to plan accordingly.I am hoping none of them will end up being trade bait, so as to keep the core of this team intact.But you know what sometimes happens with a new GM; they try to make changes, even if they don’t have to, just to put their own personal stamp on the team and separate themselves from the previous GM.I am really hoping Amaro does not fall into this trap.It is a mind game and one that is likely to produce bad results.He needs to do what is best for the team, not for his ego or reputation.

As for a utility infielder, there have been rumors of bringing 31 year-old Nick Punto back to Philly.With the Twins since 2004, he has played every infield position, except first base, and even some outfield.Punto has a lifetime average of .252, with a .284 average in 2008, having played in 99 games.His career fielding percentage is .976 with 49 total errors in 8 seasons.Honestly, for a guy that does not play every day, that is not so great.So, I am hoping this rumor goes away…

As for Pat Burrell, that train has come to a stop, at least for now.It appears Burrell is fielding offers from other teams and so this becomes another case of wait and see.Even manager Charlie Manuel is asking for a contract extension so he can retire as a Phillie.Nothing solid on this, other than most expect this deal to be done this week sometime.So we will wait and see.And I will keep you posted as things progress this week.

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